On that Unfaithful Day
by Dawnie'B
Summary: AU. Drew and May were top four competitors in The Grand Festival, Paul was the favorite to win the conference, Dawn was an up-and-coming coordinator; all four allegedly died fifty years ago in a mysterious accident. A field trip brings Leaf, Misty, Gary, and Ash into the mystery-surely they can figure it out-with the ghost of the deceased who yearn for closure. LxG, Poke, IS, CS
1. On that Unfaithful Day

**I wrote this last year and it was supposed to come out for Halloween last year, but I had no time to work on it so I'll put it out this year.**

_50 years earlier_

"Why don't we break up if you're so tired of me?!" A boy with green hair answered.

The girl, vertically in front, pursed her lip before her face softened. She trembled lightly before pivoting and walking away from her now possibly-ex boyfriend, not bothering to glance back even once.

The teenager with green hair swiveled his head to the side with obvious displeasure, but once the girl was out of sight, he moved his head straight in front; his appearance of annoyance diminished and in place was a guilty look.

"Why do we always fight like this, May," The boy mumbled.

* * *

May was wiping tears off her face when she knocked on her best friend's door.

The 5'1 bluenette was holding a hat as she twisted the door knob and pushed it out to the side.

"Oh, May, what happened?" Dawn asked as she pulled her friend into a hug.

"A-Another f-fight with D—"

"Drew," Dawn said for May, who couldn't manage to say his name without more tears emerging and falling from her eyelids.

The relationship between Drew and May was a complicated one; unlike other girls of the time, May was not one to sit still and let a single soul cross her—or her friends and family for that matter. She stood up, retorted back, and usually silenced the one who had upset her—but Drew, their arguments were usually draws with neither side winning.

They started off rivals, became friends with a rivalry, and soon—through becoming closer, boyfriend and girlfriend..with a rivalry. They competed against one another in just about anything you could think of: academics, Pokémon contests, even bets on the sport champions. Through the rivalry, they grew closer and began to advise one another on techniques and strategies.

But, despite the romance, it wasn't exactly the most lovey-dovey; they fought and argued often—but nothing, none of the fights had reached the level it had today. But like normal couples, they had some moments.

"He doesn't understand! He is skeptical of Darien, it's like I'm a naïve little girl. I'm more than that, he needs to give me some space," May's sadness had turned into an angrier mood in minutes; she pulled out a red-plaited handkerchief from the side of her pocket and wiped her face.

"He cares about you; we don't want this being another Harley, now do we?" Dawn closed her door and sat next to her friend, her arm was draping off May's neck in a friendly "half-hug" as she referred to it.

"Darien won't hurt me, in fact he's been nothing but supportive throughout the whole Grand Festival!" May cried out. She grabbed a pillow and clutched it close to her chest; she then leaned and buried her head into the soft cushion.

Dawn tapped her back lightly, "I think Drew's trying to protect you. You saw what happened with that blonde boy and Marina? We're coordinators—Drew, you, and me. But Drew's a boy; so he can enter The Grand Festival with no negativity while we, being girls, can—but with fewer acceptances and more bias,"

The Grand Festival was a coordinating event similar to the regular contest, but also different. It was bigger, the prize was higher and more people tuned in to watch the annual event. May, Dawn, and Drew passed the appeals along with Darien and other classmates. Contest ribbons, five at the least to be precise, were necessary to qualify—while the regular contests had barely any bias and sexist opinions—the more eventful Grand Festival was full of it. Anyone could collect five ribbons; but not just anyone could be called "Top Coordinator."

A battler with a name both girls didn't know switched to coordinating during the current year; he was blamed for the sudden food-poisoning of a girl named Marina's Pokémon. It sickened the fair-minded coordinators that people would go to such lengths to win; and to eliminate females in an event that's supposed to feature the best coordinators regardless of gender.

May lifted her head off the semi-moist pillow, "I'm going to win, I'm in the top four, how can I lose? My opponent is Darien, whom I have beaten many before. And unlike other contestants, he told me in great detail how he believes both sexes should be able to compete fairly. He looks at me not like a girl, but as an opponent," May explained, she beamed when she remembered Darien's compliments and tips during a practice battle a little over a week ago.

"Getting to the top four is impressive," Dawn commented quietly, she felt a little envious of May. Dawn's mother had once made it to the top two, only to unfairly lose to a blankly obvious, less-skilled opponent. Dawn hadn't qualified the first year; the second year was when she made it to the appeals—only to lose. Her third and current year was when she made it to the top sixteen; but lost to May.

On the other hand, May had qualified her first year and made it to the top eight, her second year was the year she made it to the top four, only to lose to Drew. And for her third year, she was in the same position as the last, but this time she was up against Darien—Drew was up against another opponent and was expected to win the match. Coordinating wasn't something May had originally considered; but she adjusted very well and made a great name for herself.

Dawn felt she failed expectations set by her mother; she was a little above average at best, but when compared to someone as or even more skilled than May, she felt below average. That didn't stop her from pursing her dream, nor will it stop her to try to improve. She had a goal and intended to reach it; one day she would win and stand on the podium with the trophy clutched tight. One day-

"..They would be best friends if Drew stopped being so suspicious!"

Dawn had tuned May out, she quickly returned her attention and nodded to create an illusion she had been in deep-thought about said topic all along. In truth, she agreed with Drew's suspicions.

"Sorry May, but after thinking it through—I don't blame Drew for being skeptical of Darien; think about it, he suddenly talks and befriends you at the start of the tournament? You're a threat, an even bigger one than Drew because you're a female. A girl hasn't won, and my mom is the only woman to ever make the top two,"

May raised an eyebrow, "I can tell what sincere and insincerity is just dandy,"

"He's a great actor; but that's what he is. Darien's an actor, a good one. Just be careful; and I think you owe Drew an apology," Dawn watched as May's face suddenly saddened, the fight between the couple must have been intense for her to feel so…down.

"Fine, I'll be careful. But I won't apologize to Drew…I think I..or he just broke up with him..or me," May stuttered.

"May," Dawn's eyes grew as she spoke, a concerned look crossed her face, "Drew may be..like he is, but he is doing all that for you. Please, talk it out with him, I know you well enough, he's someone you'd need in life,"

"I don't need him. You know what, I guess people never change. He was a jerk, and always will be. I know he means well but he's judging someone he barely knows. At least you know him better and you're just a little suspicious—"

"Now that I think of it, I think Drew's one hundred percent right," Dawn interrupted, her pointer finger went up in the air, "Number one, Darien's friends seem to be the really skilled coordinators, like you. He sees Drew as skilled too, but he knows Drew's more..skeptical than most individuals,"

May rolled her eyes, "Common coincidence,"

Ignoring her comment, Dawn continued; her central finger joined her pointer, "Number two, numeral dos, he seemed a bit hostile till we mentioned your name? In fact, he seems hostile to those he deems as non-threats; I can see something behind that fake smile,"

"That's based on interpretation—"

Dawn's ring finger shot up rapidly, "Three, I can read body language; and no one is humanly that sweet or perfect,"

"I'm not saying he's a God, but..never mind," A silence pause flooded the room, May stayed silent, she looked a little hurt.

"Just…try to fix things with Drew, okay?" Dawn said for the final time. May answered with a weak nod.

After knowing the brunette for a few years, Dawn knew Drew had entered her mind. Dawn also guessed more thoughts about Darien entered as well; May cared about Drew but was a loyal friend to one who's been so great to her. On top of that, Dawn felt May was hurt that the two people she cared most about other than her family had doubted her judgment and acted rough about it. Dawn didn't feel an ounce of guilt, except for how she approached it, but other than that—she didn't regret saying what she felt.

"I'll be going now," said May, her voice mildly cracked as she left the hotel room.

* * *

"I need proof Darien's trying to sabotage her," Drew explained to Paul; a battler who was recognized as "the best at strategies."

Paul rolled his eyes and began to turn the opposite way, he looked down on most coordinators and coordinating in general. He called the whole thing weak and useless compared to battles; but if a coordinator manages to beat him; he'll gain respect—but only if a coordinator can beat him.

He's rough on pokemon and even tougher on others; while talented he had a cold demeanor surrounding him, Paul wasn't very friendly towards those who had conversed with him. He respected those higher above his rank, but looked down on mostly everyone—especially those he had beaten.

Drew had battled him once and narrowly lost, despite the close win Paul acknowledged him as weak in his own eyes.

"I couldn't care less about this Grand Festival; I came only for battlers lurking around the arena," Paul swiveled his head, his hardening glare was intimidating, but Drew was not easily intimidated—anymore at least.

"I've never known you well enough to judge you, but I respect you. I'm not the poster child for _kindest and uttermost understanding trainer, _but I am fair and definitely nice compared to the likes of you. Despite that, you are the best at strategies—involving both pokemon and humans. You beat me; you beat most of the people in our academy. I can't do this alone; whenever I try he is always one step ahead. You have finished top eight, four, and even made it to the finals in the leagues. That's why I asked you," Drew let out a deep breath as he finished, looking up he noticed Paul's emotions unchanged, but his scowl seemed to drop.

"How does this benefit me?" questioned Paul, a smirk containing terms and conditions was plastered across his face. "If you can come up with one, legitimate reason to why I should help you, please say,"

"I'll give you someone to practice with for _The Lily of the Valley Conference_; I'll even do your laundry and your homework for other classes. And next year, even if I'm away to attend a contest in a town; I'll make sure I can help you out in some form or another," Drew proposed, he was in disbelief that Drew Hayden said that. He sounded desperate, but he was desperate to stop Darien.

"You sound desperate," Paul criticized.

"I know, but right now I don't care if I do,"

"Your proposition is helpful…I do hate homework; especially because I already know the lessons so doing extra work is..useless to me. Don't expect this often, it is for me more than you—but don't bother trying to help if you're away on one of those silly contests. First semester next year will complete your debts, and you must honor this. Are we clear?" Paul raised an eyebrow,_ eagerly_ anticipating Drew's response.

"We're clear," Drew stretched his arm out to seal the deal; but Paul dismissed it claiming he did not shake hands unless it was after a battle.

"So what's the plan?" Drew asked impatiently.

"Simple—I don't know how you have not thought of this before—"

"Just get on with it," Drew interrupted.

"Very well…." Paul and Drew entered Paul's hotel room, closing the door in case anyone could hear and interrupt the plan.

"This, is what I think will work," Paul opened his drawer and took out a red notebook, with a pen in his hand he began to brainstorm, draw, and explain…

* * *

"Good evening Miss. Maple!" said Nurse Joy.

"Evening already?" May brought her arm up and checked her watch; her eyes widened for a second before loosening her face and smiling. "Time went by fast,"

Nurse Joy chuckled, "It sure did! Now, is there anything I can help you with? This isn't just from a Pokémon nurse perspective; you are such a sweet girl and deserve to win tomorrow," she gushed.

May's face felt slightly hot, "Thank you! All I need at the moment is some extra food for my Pokémon; tomorrow's a big day after all, "

The Pokemon nurse smiled, "Anything," she answered sweetly before pivoting into the supply room.

"Oh hi May!" Darien greeted, May stuck her arm out to shake his hand, but Darien instead wrapped his arms around her and pulled the female coordinator into a hug.

"Nice to see you," May said happily. He felt sincere; contrary to what Drew had said. Darien was a true person; while Dawn and Drew were important to her—she had to use her own judgments in things like this.

"Ready for our match tomorrow?" Darien asked as they both pulled away.

"Umm.." May mumbled, "a little," she smiled humbly, her feet tapped innocently on the carpeting. In truth, she was more than ready; she had grown confident through her years and believed this year was it. He was a friend, but she knew in her heart that Darien wouldn't win.

"I'm pretty nervous too; I saw how you beat that new trainer flawlessly," he complimented.

May's hands rapidly swished from side to side, "Oh no, it wasn't a close to perfect win at all,"

"You are way too humble, but I like that about you. One of the most talented coordinators yet so soft-spoken, Drew Hayden could use a few lessons," He winked before he chuckled, May raised both her eyebrows before joining it awkwardly.

"Drew may be like that, but he's not a bad person," _He just needs to give me some space, _May added mentally.

"You are his girlfriend, your judgment is spot on so there must be something good in him," said Darien.

"There is _some_ good in him," she exaggerated the word_ some_ purposely.

_Not some, a lot, _rang her conscience. _You may think he needs to give you space, but he's only trying to get to the bottom of it. He wouldn't care if this was anyone else but you, you may think Darien's innocent, but Drew just wants to verify that judgment of yours May._

Not only did Dawn begin to agree with Drew, but she had provoked May's conscience to look at other perspectives.

_Darien's last opponent, who was also female, dropped out, which is why he's your opponent for the spot to the top two._

It could be insanity, but her thoughts began to escalate to a more skeptical point of view.

_Maybe, just maybe, until you beat him tomorrow—lay low and quiet._

"Here, May!" Nurse Joy set a bag on the counter top. "Oh, and here Darien," she handed him an identical bag. "You left it this morning and it had your name on it,"

"Thank you!" Both said in union.

Darien grabbed a bag and handed it to May, "Here you go, Miss. Maple," Darien then grabbed the one next to it.

"I'll be going now, see you tomorrow!" Darien waved as he walked away, May left in the opposite direction.

She checked the bag and saw the usual brands, "Phew," she cooed as she swiped her hair off her face.

* * *

"And are you positive this will work?" A boy asked.

"Positive, she won't know what she had coming," the male next to him smirked.

"And that will give us enough time, let's just hope—"

"Mama Maple keeps blabbering,"

"Of course she will,"

"We have about ten minutes,"

* * *

"May, your mom is on the line," Someone said as May was preparing to use the elevator. With her bag grasped in her hand, she grabbed hold of the phone and brought it to her ear, "Hello?"

"Oh May how are you? I saw your battle two days ago, amazing! I had no time to call, Max came down with a sickness and your poor brother was sick for two days. He's feeling a lot better now," Her mom said.

"Good," May said nonchalantly.

"How's Drew?" Mrs. Maple asked"Oh and Dawn! You can't forgot that sweet girl,"

"Both are well," May said emotionlessly.

"Drew called me earlier and told me all about your experiences! I must be going now, Max is bugging me. I'll call tomorrow, I promise, honey,"

"Bye!" said May, she lowered the phone and looked up to notice the person at the front desk looking at her. "Can I help you?" asked May.

"Oh no, it might be too much trouble," His eyes averted.

"I'm sure it can't be too much," May smiled at the man.

"I've lost my late-wife's necklace, its gold with diamonds and worth a lot, but I would never sell it—"

"I found this," May swiveled to see Drew with a beautiful necklace.

"That's it!" The man clapped as Drew handed him the necklace embroidered with many diamonds in a heart shaped piece, Drew had handed him a small box as well.

"Drew…" May mumbled.

"May," he said in a whisper-like voice.

"Young man, thank you so much! Is this your boyfriend? Nice guy, I can tell! I was offering a reward of approximately—"

"Thank you, Mister. But helping someone is enough of a reward for me," Drew bowed his head.

"Are you sure?" he looked up at Drew, who nodded in response. "Thank you," his eyes watered as he held the necklace close to his heart.

"No problem," Drew shook his hand before he began to walk away; he suddenly grabbed May's hand.

"Whoa," May said, the grab had been sudden.

"Come on; let's go up to your room,"

May swallowed a lump in her throat; she only nodded, hoping he didn't mean what she thought he meant:

The old man was right; Drew was a nice guy.

She also loved him and she didn't want to lose him over a small disagreement.

* * *

"Those stairs are a pain!" complained a female, a male with Lilac-colored hair groaned at her complaints

"Why did that elevator have to be broken?" she ranted.

"Listen, we need you to concentrate,"

"I am concentrating! Why wouldn't I? This is my best friend—"

The boy covered her mouth with his hand, "Please, shut up," he removed his hand and handed her an album of pictures, which she exchanged for with a camera.

"First, don't touch me. Second, release the beautifly when you're a few minutes to being ready," she commanded.

"I know that; don't mess up like last time. You are very _troublesome,_" he snarled.

"Not my fault I fell down the stairs!" The girl rubbed a bruise on her leg as the boy beside her shook his head. They then seperated: The plan was on.

* * *

The staircase walk was silent; May would occasionally glance at Drew, and when May wasn't looking, Drew did the same.

"Drew," said May, breaking the infuriating silence.

"Yeah?" Drew replied.

"Where are we going?" asked May, Drew shrugged his shoulders casually.

"Remember, we're going to your room?"

"But why there?" May asked as she leaned against the elevator's wall.

"You'll see," was all Drew said as they both reached the flat surface.

Drew opened up the door for May, who took a deep breath—when they got there, in total privacy—they'd hopefully make-up, then the whole fight would be forgotten with.

But wishes don't always come true.

* * *

"Go to the troublesome midget," Paul whispered to May's beauti**f**ly, the pokemon nodded and flew up.

…

"Beautifly!" said Dawn as the bug-type Pokemon began to flutter to her direction, it was suddenly jerked downward. Its ability to fly practically diminished at the minute. It didn't appear sick but rather..beat up? She wondered if it crashed into a window accidentally or perhaps the side of the building.

Gasping, she yelled "Oh my God!" Dawn placed both her hands around her lips," I'll help you, don't worry!" The bluenette promised. As she prepared to grab her pokeballs, her knee gave out. The supporting legs failed as her body tumbled to the concrete rooftop. "I'm coming!" she assured, but could not manage to lift herself up.

* * *

"Your idea is working, Paul, they're all sick! All I need to do is finish eeve and then try and find that demented-looking butter—"

"Bulbasaur!" May screamed as the door hit the back well roughly.

Darien was kneeling on the ground; he was in her room trying to ply open her eeve's jaw. May's Eeve, in turn, had tears in her eye as she trembled. Pokemon laid around looking awfully sickly, the Pokemon food that Darien had opened smelled rotten—she knew it was spoiled. She recalled the smell, it was a stronger scent of the food she had gotten—a scene of Darien handing her the bag appeared in her brain. He gave her the wrong one, and possibly switched his order with thrown out food.

"May, this isn't what it looks like—"

"Forget it," May began to chaste. "I trusted you—I fought and said hurtful things to Drew to defend you! Maybe he gets too suspicious, but he was dead on about you," May rolled her eyes; she ran up to Darien and grabbed him viciously by the shirt collar. He yelped quietly as May's grip became stronger.

"Sorry May, but girls belong in the kitchen—"

"Really?" May cocked her head to the side. "Because after this, I'd say_ you_ belong to a kitchen doing the dirtiest and most pitiful job possible!" Darien was flexing away, he was bothered by the yelling in his ear—but May couldn't care if he was or was not anymore.

"Just drop out and your Pokemon will be fine," Darien proposed. He grinned widely, but May wasn't buying the act.

A few tears fell as scenes of the fight played through her mind, "Drew was right..I was naïve, you are pathetic, Darien. If you can't handle a fair game don't play it," May let go of his shirt collar.

"You _are _pathetic," Paul added.

"Whose side are you on?" Darien hissed.

"Theirs; Drew came to me an hour before you did. His offer was far better too," Paul commented as he stretched his legs while comfortably leaning against the Victorian-style wallpaper

Darien made a sour face.

"Offer?" May's voice cracked as she asked. She waited for Paul, whom she hadn't talked to ever before, to explain what he meant.

"After your lover's quarrel he came to me so the two of us—oh and your annoying, midget friend who overheard and got a part, planned to ensure Darien wouldn't do a thing to you. Problem was Darien came as well, so I played double agent and frankly, this was the revised and only way," Paul crossed his arms, he shook his head, his combed hair turning slightly more messy.

"Where is he?" May asked, her facial expression softened.

"Didn't he take you up? Oh and Drew and I practically have a slave contract, that guy's going to Hell next year for you," Paul then smirked, "Maybe, I'm feeling awfully generous but I might just take out the laundry part. I did, in fact, lie to him about this plan-well, I adjusted it per se,"

"He told me he'll be back," May answered.

Paul's explanation made feelings of guilt heavier, when explaining, Paul didn't need to say a word for May to be able to read the expression on his face—Paul thought May didn't deserve Drew. May agreed with him, she really didn't.

"_Drew what's this about?" May looked at him as she asked._

"_A lot," He kissed May softly on the head, an act that shocked May considering she thought he was going to break-up with her._

"_Go inside, I'll be back," His expression softened, but his eyes were glancing at something on the side._

_As he began to walk away, May stopped him with a simple question: "Are you mad at me?"_

"_Yes and no," Drew answered as he pressed the elevator button._

"Guess we'll have to take his word for it," Paul rolled his eyes with boredom.

Darien grimaced, "So what are you going to do now? I still won,"

"Shut the Hell up," Paul began, "You're screwed, we took pictures of your immoral act,"

"Immoral act? Why the Hell did you say it like that—SHIT," Darien was whimpering as Paul thrusted his leg out and forcefully glued Darien's arm to the wall. He stabbed his shoe deeper into Darien's hand.

May's jaw fell, Paul was surprisingly…err….flexible.

"You're trash, though thank you for the five hundred dollars," Paul lowered his leg back to the ground, his body turned away from Darien before he waved his hand behind his back. Noticing one of May's Pokemon, he opened his arms and grasped it.

May placed a hand on the forehead of her Torchic. "I'm so sorry," May told her Pokemon. They looked at her sympathetically, assuring—or trying to assure that it wasn't her fault.

"I asked Nurse Joy to come and check on them, but right now I think you owe someone else an apology," Paul placed a hand on May's shoulder, "don't get used to my kindness either. I don't know why I'm being so nice…it's sickening. But I'm probably just happy with all my new rewards from today,"

Darien groaned as Paul lifted the money Darien gave and twirled it around in the air.

"Where's Drew?"

"Probably at the rooftop, I hope you like stairs. Your annoying friend kept complaining about them,"

"Dawn, her name's Dawn. And honestly, let's go because it's getting dark and I'm pretty sure it's lightly raining—or it's going to if it isn't already,"

* * *

"Those are a lot of stairs," said May.

"Get climbing," Paul ordered.

May saw a shadow behind her, "I'll catch up to you later," she said, turning back to follow the person watching.

_It will all be okay, _she thought.

Little did May know, she would be wrong.

* * *

"Beautifly's fine, she was able to fly again after some time passed. I can't explain why her ability to fly subsided for a couple minutes, she might have gotten an injury flying with a camera on her back, but she's alright now," Drew assured as he helped Dawn to her feet.

The bluenette fell to the ground—again.

"That looks sprained, I'm no doctor but that doesn't look good," He helped her up once again; only this time he kept his hands on her arms.

"It's raining," Dawn looked up as a few raindrops fell on her face.

"Let's go—oh yeah you can't walk," Drew shrugged his shoulders while he looked at Dawn for ideas.

"Carry me or something? Just don't move too much because it hurts to move,"

"I'm walking down stairs? How do you expect me to not move?" Drew retorted.

"As minimal as possible!" Dawn creased her brow; she wasn't in the mood for his typical Drew-ness attitude.

"Minimal," A straight-forward voice corrected from behind. Paul's mouth formed an 'o' as his irises moved from Dawn's bruise to her crooked posture. He pulled his bottom lip behind his front teeth; "Idiot!" His arms shot up in the air histrionically. He paced from right to left, back and forth, his palm never left his forehead.

Dawn's lips quirked into an exasperated smile, she laughed bitterly, "I am tired of you, already! I think—"

"You think or you know?" Paul growled.

A vein was throbbing on Dawn's forehead, "I think! I'm not a doctor! Are you? Enlighten me, Paul!"

"Is your lack of height correlated with your lack of brains?" Paul said breezily.

Dawn gasped, her hand theatrically covered her open mouth, she lowered it furiously, "I'm still growing!"

"You are the height of an average sixth grader," Paul tried not to allow himself to snicker; he was a gentleman, was he not?

If looks could commit homicide, Paul would have been dead the second they two had met. But neither Paul nor Dawn was Medusa, so their appearance couldn't murder the other. From Drew's perspective, they wouldn't mind turning the other to stone.

"Sometimes I wish drawings could come to life, if I'm ever in trouble I can draw a solution," Dawn insinuated.

"Like a rope? Around my neck?" Paul scuffled; he nonchalantly crossed his arms and tapped his foot in rhythm with the light rain.

"I was thinking more along the lines of tape on your mouth," Dawn smiled mischievously, "But I'm always open for ideas, ask away,"

Paul glowered, "If my drawings could becoming animate I'd re-draw you as a less annoying individual,"

"What other features will you improve? Hmm?" Dawn winked at Paul—who seemed to turn a small shade of red.

"A lot more," answered Paul with confidence.

"How would I look?" asked Dawn sweetly, she was dancing on his last nerve—everyone could see it.

"Just like you do now," Paul groaned the minute he said it; oh how bad he wanted to take it back. His cold, regretful eyes trembled.

"You think I'm pretty, right? That's why I don't need any improvements, isn't it _Pauly?"_

"Shut up,"

"How original," Drew said sarcastically.

The light rain plopped as it hit the ground, gradually and gradually it crashed to the concrete with more power.

"We need to go," said Dawn.

Drew was preparing to carry Dawn, but instead he asked Paul if he could because Paul "seemed stronger."

"I don't like this anymore than you," said Dawn, who was being cradled carefully (surprisingly) in Paul's arms.

"It's locked," Drew gripped the handle harder, he pushed and pulled but the door wouldn't open.

"Your girlfriend will be here soon anyways,"

"Where is May?" Drew asked.

"She said she'll catch up later,"

"That doesn't sound good!" Dawn practically yelled, she grasped Paul's shirt collar, "Usually that means she has another plan!"

Drew's eyes enlarged, "Another plan?"

"Once, she said she'll meet me later. You know what she did? She was suspicious of her dad cheating on her mom, we were shopping and I thought she was going to a store. But, instead she went home, climbed a tree to look through their window, and fell off! There wasn't even any cheating, it was an aunt she hadn't met,"

"So you think May has to do something else?" asked Drew.

"Can you let go of me?" Paul grumbled, he unclasped her fingers and set her arm down.

"I think she went for Darien, I wasn't able to get any proof. I think she wants to turn him in,"

"Dammit why won't the door open?!" Drew kicked it, but it stubbornly stayed closed.

* * *

All that came down were tears; she blamed herself for it all. Maybe she deserved to suffer; her easily-trusting trait brought her down—if only she had listened to Drew, if only she did something else—if only she knew.

She could hear the rain drops accumulate faster and heavier as she tried to break free; Paul, Dawn, and Drew—they would be sick thanks to her. And pneumonia could lead to much, much more.

* * *

"Stay in here, both of you,"

There was an elevator to the rooftop; but it was broken and out of use. Drew was able to open it and keep the three of them safe during the heavy rains.

Dawn shivered, "Achoo," she sneezed for about the fiftieth time.

"Your sneezing is annoying me," Paul took off his jacket and covered Dawn with it. "Here, take it so you won't sneeze,"

"Aw, thank you," Dawn said sincerely. "Good thing I'm short so it can pretty much cover me,"

"If you sneeze again I'll take it back. If it's not the cold making you sneeze than there's no difference with or without my jacket," Paul swiveled his head away from Dawn.

"I'm going out, try not to kill each other," Drew waited for a response from both of them.

"I'll try," said Paul.

"I don't feel murderous or malevolent at the moment," Was Dawn's answer.

Drew chuckled; It was entertaining to watch Paul Shinji and Dawn Berlitz argue, he opened the elevator to see the rain had gotten worst. "It was so nice today, didn't think it would rain," he said out loud as he made sure the door was closed—he didn't want Dawn to get anymore sick, poor thing had a large bruise, had a potentially broken leg, and a small cold.

May, he assumed, was probably inside waiting for the weather to subside, speaking of said girl—he glanced at the door and decided to give it one last try. He heard thunder in the distance, and where there's thunder—there's lightning, as he's always heard. "Good thing lightning never strikes the same place twice,"* Drew said with relief.

He attempted to open the door again, and it was unsuccessful—again. Through the small, foggy window, a certain image attracted his attention; it was a voiceless scene; May was kissing Darien. Darien was kissing May, "She believes him? How the Hell—I thought she found out the truth?!"

He ran back and narrated the story.

"Well, I would be concerned if I cared about her," Paul remarked, "If I were a hormonal female like your ex-girlfriend, I wouldn't hook up with the man that poisoned my Pokemon,"

"What?!" Dawn and Drew yelled/gasped.

"I had to revise the plan, it was very effective," Paul explained dryly, he took note that the other two looked angry, "Shouldn't you both be thanking me?"

Dawn's eyes intensified, "I would have never gone along with it-"

A bolt of lightning hit the top of the broken elevator, the three teenagers inside gasped, their eyes magnified larger as the elevator's grip within the ropes was cut off.

Drew covered his head with his own arms, Paul and Dawn found themselves holding each other tighter.

Everything happened ever so quickly.

The elevator fell more than one hundred feet; they breathed their last breath as the metal elevator crashed to the ground.

None of them had any time to scream before it happened.

The last two words said before all met their death was:

"Why, May?"

But the sad thing was, the person those words were intended for—never heard them, or heard from them, again.

* * *

_We are saddened to announce the passing of four teens; two top four contestants of The Grand Festival, the other—the favorite for The Lily of the Valley Conference, the last, a top sixteen competitor in The Grand Festival, and the famous daughter of Johanna C. Berlitz._

_The four were presumed to be in the elevator, possibly hiding in there for shelter during the storm._

_The elevator on the top of LaRousse's Grand Hotel was broken; the lines that held it together were deemed weak and were supposed to be replaced the following week. In case of anything, the elevator was unable to move down, but it was able to open and close according to the hotel's workers. It is under a small investigation; though it's believed the four tried to use it for transportation._

_The corpse of one of the four was found, the other three we believe were the most affected—and a possibility was their remains were somehow burned and their bones remained under the ruble._

_One of the victim's family members, the famous Johanna Berlitz spoke to reporters:_

"_My daughter is still alive, she's out there. I know she is—she can't be gone,"_

_She will be undergoing extreme psychological treatment._

_Also, Paul Shinji's brother—Reggie, had comments to say about the incident. _

"_Something's wrong, only one corpse was found? The other three must be out there, why is this an accidental death for all of them? There's no proof of my brother's death, something suspicious happened that night. And I demand a better explanation," _

_The usually soft-spoken one, Reggie had given up battling to become a Pokemon breeder, but as you can see, he's undergoing a traumatic psychological problem._

_Their academy in Sinnoh is having a memorial next Friday; our heart goes out to the family._

_The family of May Maple was unavailable for comment, but it is believed her corpse was the one found._

_50 years later._

"Here, six hundred dollars so I can attend this fieldtrip!" Leaf announced as she handed the money to her teacher.

"Thank you, Ms. Green," said Cynthia with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Sorry again," apologized Leaf with a nervous chuckle. She was lucky the school allowed her to even attend considering how she forgot to provide the payment. Her grandmother, to her misfortune, had the sadly appropriate memory for her frail age. Leaf's wasn't any better, there were many instances where forgetfulness affected other parts in her life..namely grades.

Hauling her green duffle bag around, she groaned due to its heaviness. The bus wasn't open, indicating she needed to hold on to it for a couple more minutes. As she distanced herself from the check-in line, she abruptly dropped the damned thing and ended up falling on top.

"Need some help?"

Leaf gawked, regaining composure she stood back up and dusted off her attire, "I got it," she said in the most level-headed voice she could enunciate.

"You know this field trip is about ten days, right?" Gary asked as he eyed her bag.

"I know. I just had a ton of books I needed to bring," Leaf explained as she gripped the bag's handles and swung it to her shoulder.

"Books? For a field trip? Since when were you Mrs. Intellectual," He joked awkwardly.

"Hahaha," Leaf chuckled back just as hesitantly. She yearned, prayed, begged for Misty to come and put her out of her misery..well awkward situation.

"I'll see you around, I guess," Gary commented, turning his back and waving a single hand through the air.

"Yeah," said Leaf under her breath.

"I'm glad the awkward stage is surpassed," Misty said optimistically.

Leaf shuddered and noticed Misty grinning behind her, " Late," she spat.

Misty rolled her eyes, "Listen, some kid somehow abducted a seel and we were up all night looking for it only for it to be returned by his apologetic mother,"

Leaf raised her eyebrow doubtfully, "How did they—"

"I don't know, my sisters were responsible and you know how they are," Misty sighed, shaking her head spitefully.

"Mist," Ash walked up and handed her a small red notebook, "You dropped this when we left the—"

"I was looking for days!" Misty exclaimed as she snatched it from his hands.

"Days..?" Ash scratched his head in confusion.

"I'm sure you overslept from the seel hunting," Leaf muttered sarcastically.

"She actually did," Ash informed.

Misty bent her legs and carefully dropped her bag, exhaling, she stretched out her arms lazily and yawned, "And I'm still pretty damn tired,"

"Ash," Gary returned back to Leaf's dismay.

"Damn it," The brunette cursed under her breath.

Taking note of Leaf's discomfort, Ash found a way to whisk Gary far away from both girls.

"Is it that horrific to breathe the same air as him?" Misty asked as she gathered up her bag.

"Yes," Leaf expressed.

"You guys were friends before the whole dating thing occurred—can't you go back to those days?"

"That's what made this thing awkward, the fact that we were close friends before we decided it would be a good idea to date," Leaf elaborated as she sneaked a peek at what Gary was doing.

A girl came by him and his attention immediately spun to her. His hands remained in his pocket as he casually conversed with the girl, who seemed obviously interested in him. She berated herself for suddenly feeling envious. They were broken up; he had every right to date someone else.

As Leaf's eyes drifted off of Gary, Misty saw the latter gaze at her, lovingly almost. Though the girl he was with talked to him, he seemed far more interested in Leaf.

It was bittersweet, watching the two put up hostile attitude towards the other; they were like strangers with memories of the other. Only it seemed like the positive remembrances were tossed away like an empty bottle. Once the liquid was drunk, there was no use in keeping an old, useless bottle. Likewise, the second the romance ended meant the downfall of their friendship and past.

"I'm so hungry," Ash complained.

"Didn't you just eat?" Gary mentioned.

"Yeah, and I'm still hungry," Ash stressed as the bus doors finally flew open. Both boys picked up their bags and made their way to the bus, only to ironically fall behind Misty and Leaf.

"Horror books?" Misty chuckled, "I'm sure you'll have a surplus of time in order to complete all your novels,"

"While I'm not off exploring, of course," Leaf grinned mischievously.

Misty sent her a strict glare; reminding Leaf of the consequences of sneaking out.

"Loosen up a bit," Leaf advised, "The city is allegedly haunted, it's like a haunted house only year round,"

"You seriously believe LaRousse is haunted?" Misty questioned skeptically.

"Maybe," Leaf winked, "I need to explore to verify these type of things,"

As they climbed on the bus stairs, Misty shook her head, "Hope you like getting caught, alone," she hissed.

"Tch," Leaf groaned as she lifted the luggage compartment's cover open. "Now..this damned bag," she complained aloud, bending down in order to grip it properly.

A pair of hands clasped the fabricated handles and without any grunts, lifted and placed it within the little box. It was an effortless job done by none other than..

"Thought you needed help, you were always stubborn," Gary teased.

"Was not!" Leaf said in a high voice.

Shutting the compartment, Gary placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned his head close to her ear.

Leaf's eyes amplified, she clenched her right hand as Gary smirked—she bet the bastard knew she still cared for him.

"In denial," he whispered in a low voice before leaning his head away and walking off to his seat.

"Why did you bother helping me then if that's what you wanted to do?!" Leaf growled, gritting her upper pair of teeth aggressively against her bottom set.

"You needed help and we both know you have the strength of a nine year old girl," Gary retorted from his seat as he spread out a blanket over his body.

"We also happen to know that my fist packs quite the punch," she sneered back, reminding Gary of the time when a much younger Leaf accidentally punched him in the gut.

"You are both acting like children," Misty pulled Leaf back and made her sit down—the former exes already caused quite a stir and it was luck that ensured Cynthia didn't hear a single word.

"When they finally want to have a conversation together..it ends up like this," Ash said to Misty.

"We can hear you," Leaf and Gary commented simultaneously.

Ripping out a piece of paper from her pocket-sized notebook, Misty reached into her pocket and slid out a pen. She placed herself on an angle so Leaf wouldn't what she was writing. She folded the piece into a paper airplane and chucked it. The paper airplane floated through the air and landed perfectly in Ash's lap. He unfolded it and smiled before he crumpled it up and crammed it into his pocket.

Nodding, he remarked on whatever Misty wrote, "Definitely," said Ash.

"What did your _girlfriend_ write?" Gary hissed, reaching his hand into Ash's pocket

"I'm not his girlfriend," Misty said defensively.

"Yeah," said Ash in agreement. "I'd rather die than have her as a girlfriend," his jaw dropped when he realized what he had said. He chastised himself in his mind—he should have organized his thoughts before mumbling a syllable

"Same goes for you!" Misty spat. "Who_ would_ want you?"

"More people than you," Ash retorted.

Leaf smacked her forehead, before it was Gary and she, now it was Ash and Misty.

_Who's the child now, Waterflower? _She thought victoriously in her head.

"Please," Misty grumbled.

"Please _what?" _Ash asked

"Nothing!" Misty sneered in response.

Leaf looked over at Gary, who seemed amused at Ash and Misty's pointless argument. Before, the two would laugh together, now, they chuckled alone—with the mere aisle space between them.

"Class, settle down now," Cynthia said. The bus obeyed and the herd of students fell into total silence.

The bus driver nodded and started the engine

"I'm still hungry, so hungry that I could eat that cookie Gary has in his bag," Ash groaned as he sat in his chair like a dead fish on land.

"How the Hell can you smell that?" Gary asked, slightly freaked out.

"Probably because it's shoved to the side pocket therefore he can see it," Misty inquired.

"Oh," Gary mumbled, dispatching the plastic bag and throwing it to Ash. "Take it,"

"Why look for the alleged supernatural in LaRousse when that kid is the scariest thing out there?" Misty snarled, directed more towards Ash than Leaf. She smirked when she noticed Ash's annoyance: that would teach him.

He took in her words deeply and suddenly jumped, "What? It's haunted!" Ash exclaimed before raising his hand. "Can I get a refund?"

Cynthia sighed before she lightly smacked her forehead, "It's not haunted, that is just a rumor,"

"They never found the other three bodies, fact," Leaf pointed out.

"What exactly happened half a century ago?" Misty asked.

"There was a broken elevator and four trainers were on the rooftop and went into the elevator, which was closed because the ropes holding it were deemed weak," Leaf explained.

"Why would they go into a broken elevator?" Misty groaned.

"They weren't planning on pressing anything, the lightning struck and the elevator fell," Leaf said grimly as she put on her headphones.

"I'm pretty sure they investigation said it was pressed," Gary said in a matter-of-fact-tone

Leaf formed a fist, he just had to enter their conversation, "According to my grandmother, that's what happened. She was there during the Grand Festival as a spectator and she knew the four who died. They were planning on exposing Darien as a criminal because he apparently tried to get May kicked out of the competition. She was regarded as one of the best bets to win and my grandmother told me that women in events like the Grand Festival or league conferences was looked down upon,"

"Sounds like a rumor; Darien is one of the most beloved coordinators of all time. Have you seen the video where he honored those who died, especially the two who were in the top four? He was saddened and I doubt that emotion can be faked," Misty reasoned.

"Weird," Leaf shrugged, "She told me differently,"

"You really believe their ghosts still remain?" Gary asked with a chuckle. "You are so _cute_," It became apparent to Leaf that Gary was trying to bring back their friendship days. She decided to respond, a little at least. She hated acting like they didn't know each other, but she still felt the density of the air rise.

"Why not? I think so," Leaf said casually.

"Err," Misty mumbled, "I doubt it, but it does make for a great horror story and lesson about why you shouldn't enter elevators that may just be broken,"

"So we're going on a field trip to learn about ghosts?" Ash asked Gary.

Misty took out a crumbled sheet of paper from her pocket, "The purpose is to increase our understanding of the Grand Festival back then and now. The purpose does partly involve the tragedy, however," she read. In Ash's mind she did so to counter his interpretation; she loved proving him wrong more than anything.

"What if the ghosts try to murder us?!" Ash threw his head back and began to rub his eyes. "I want to live,"

"I'm sure that of all the lives they could have taken; they'll try and take ours," Misty said sarcastically.

Gary chuckled, "Please, the ghosts won't try to murder any of us because they don't exist,"

"I think they do," Leaf interjected.

Gary smiled, he was clearly amused with what Leaf was saying.

The bus was suddenly erupting with murmurs and fears over alleged ghosts, which promoted Cynthia to formally announce that ghost did not exist.

"The fact that she has to say that to a bunch of teenagers," Misty snorted.

"Not as bad as seeing two people yell at others for bickering _and_ then proceed to do the same thing," Leaf elbowed her lightly.

Misty felt flustered, "Well..you heard what he said,"

Leaf leaned in and covered her mouth with a hand, just in case Ash heard; "Between you and me, he felt bad for what he said. I just don't know why he didn't apologize, his face dropped when he realized he insulted you,"

A smile quirked upon Misty's face, "Well..that's great," she said nonchalantly.

Ash and Misty could fight before reverting back to their "best friends that bicker mode." These little things were nothing to them; in fact, Leaf couldn't recall the two of them ever having a serious argument. It was their nature to disagree occasionally-well, on numerous occasions.

She and Gary were similar, but that was the past.

"Why can't I sort this all out," Leaf muttered under her breath as she picked out song to burst through her headphones-she needed to distract herself and erase the name "Gary Oak" temporarily.

* * *

**This is going to be pretty short, chapters shouldn't be over 8,000..this just was thanks to the background info c:. I wrote this a year ago mainly during midnight, I edited and found some errors (mostly with plot, the elevator's broken but I accidentally had Drew and May ride it). If there are any cases of that, please let me know.**

Oh, and there's a little astrik because fifty years ago I believe that's when "lightning never strikes twice" took place.


	2. On that Warm Day

Persian- Thank you c:

Ready to Fly- I'm glad you noticed I never wrote the scene where May dies! Let's just say it's all part of the mystery c:

19Madison—omg thank you! :D

* * *

Dawn's eyes fluttered open, gasping, she looked up and noticed she was in a tight embrace with none other than..Paul? She felt flustered and immediately launched herself as far from him as possible. He fell on his knees and his eyes immediately opened, revealing his onyx-colored glare.

"You..protected me..?" Dawn managed to squeak out without sounding too..happy about the situation she found herself in.

"It was a stimulus act, nothing more," Paul said dryly as he gathered himself off the floor.

"Where..are we?" Dawn asked as she too stood up and gazed around the area.

Her hair was messed up—a fact that angered her. Groaning, she went to pull out her mirror. To her surprise, her pink mirror with embellished jewels was missing from her pocket. Dawn pulled out the inner sag of her pockets and tugged lightly at the edges; it was indeed missing.

Paul rolled his eyes at Dawn's concern towards her..whatever females deemed mandatory for survival. He, on the other hand, felt like he woke up from a deep sleep or trance. Suddenly, he remembered the area in which he and the troublesome girl got caught up in: The Hotel Lobby.

The yellow wallpaper with diamond patterns, red-and gold rug, oak desk, Renaissance- esque portraits—all signs they were merely in the lobby. There were differences since the last time he entered; for one, he was alone with Dawn. Secondly, there was yellow tape plastering the words "caution" all over the lobby.

Paul faintly remembered being in a dangerous contraption that caused him to grab Dawn. He recalled helping Drew with his relationship problems, tricking the son of a bitch named Darien, and a thunder storm.

"Where is Drew?" He asked Dawn.

She shrugged and began wandering around the empty lobby; her fingers were spread out across the wall and slid against it as she just walked. It was an odd setting, considering how busy the hotel was. Especially when an event is taking place close by—The Grand Festival was a major competition that brought fans from all over the world—yet the lobby was so lonely.

"Usually at this time the hotels are at the peak of their game, The Grand Festival is nearing its conclusion," Dawn said aloud with a confused undertone.

"Perhaps it's going on right now?" Paul theorized.

"There aren't any workers, and this hotel attracts more than just contest fans," Dawn stated in a matter-of-fact town. She placed a finger on her chin and tapped her foot against the rug. Her memory wasn't as vivid as Paul's was; however, Drew's voice was a part she sure as Hell heard before becoming abruptly intertwined with Paul.

"I don't know how we're going to explain this," A voice said with pure discomfort as he walked out from the stairs.

"Murder?" His companion mused darkly.

"Dammit, no wonder this lobby was left astray; a murder was committed last night," Paul cursed under his breath. He tugged at Dawn's sleeve—causing her to yelp softly—and pulled her to the floor. He crawled behind a plant and gestured Dawn to parrot his example.

"You didn't need to cause me to fall down," she hissed audibly; though she followed what he did.

"We're not supposed to be here, idiot," Paul retorted as he turned his head towards the outside window. "See?" Dawn craned her neck up and sucked in her breath—outside was a team of investigators working on some sort of cause. Tables were spewed all over the once scenic front of the hotel with materials used for digging laid out on top. Police officials were running around with their trusty Growlithes trailing behind, workers with hard, yellow hats came running and seemed to be admitting some disheartening information.

The two strangers ceased walking and glanced back sorrowfully at the area in which they came from. Following in their footsteps was a team of six under, dressed in a typical mining outfit, all were working together to carry an ominous thing hidden by a black sheet.

A woman elbowed her way inside with clenched fists. There was a fire in her eyes mixed with sorrow; she had bags underneath as well, indicating she hasn't had much sleep for some time. Dawn's eyes enlarged, she placed both hands over her mouth to mask the escaping gasp lunged deep in her throat. "Mom," she repeated, almost question-like.

"You shouldn't be here, you're mentally unstable, Mrs. Berlitz," A man with black hair said tauntingly. Dawn identified him off the spot; he was a manager in The Grand Festival's preparation. She had no idea what he meant with his comment; and for that matter—why her mom seemed to be in such a dreadful condition.

She growled and grabbed his shirt collar, "My daughter is not dead! This is not my Dawn,"

Paul's eyebrows pressed together, his jaw fell, and he looked over at Dawn.

She began to tremble, "Dawn..I' ..dead," she stuttered as her head tilted towards the ground. "I..no..this..can't be,"

"You aren't, I wouldn't be able to see you if you were dead," Paul said reassuringly. He blamed the sudden situation they were thrust into for his concern, or perhaps it was how irritating she was in his eyes. Then again, he also couldn't stand seeing how convinced the adults in front were that Dawn was dead. It was tearing at her; she couldn't manage to bring herself off the ground.

"I'm right here!" Dawn cried out, she immediately gathered herself off the floor and wiped her dress. "Mom! I'm not dead," she yelled.

"Mrs. Berlitz, I can have you arrested for grabbing me in such a manner. I suggest you leave now," He ordered as he lowered her arm.

"None of these kids are dead!" Johanna screeched, tears fell from her eyes and she fell to the floor in agony.

"Do you need further proof that your insolent daughter is no more?!" The man snarled, he stomped over to the mysterious thing hidden and quickly pulled off the front half.

Dawn gasped loudly; Paul too was taken back.

The body was absolutely decapitated. It was drenched in dry blood and the decaying appeared to have become a fast process. Flies flew around the head area and the bones of the individual were actually disconnected from the rest of her body. A part of the neck area nearly fell off thanks to the man's harsh uncovering of the corpse. Dawn would have been unrecognizable if it weren't for the strands of blue hair sticking out from the sides.

Seeing her daughter in such a state took an immediate toll on Johanna. She pulled out a small, pink dress and clung to it as she fell on the floor. Her tears spilled and she screamed odd noises, curses, remorse, anything that came to her mind. "My daughter!" she sobbed as she rolled off the small flight of stairs.

"Mom," Dawn repeated with just as much agony in her voice. She couldn't, no matter how much it made her stomach turn, cease looking at the top half of her body.

The people Dawn and Paul initially heard covered up the body, they glared at the man that uncovered the sickening sight—he had gone past his limits.

"I'm here, mom. If Paul can see me, why can't you?" Dawn mourned teary-eyed. She reluctantly walked over to her mother, still curled up into a ball, and placed a trembling hand on her back.

Johanna couldn't feel it, she was unaware her daughter's spirit was still with her.

Paul didn't know what to say, he was just as nauseous about seeing Dawn's body in such a physical state. He carried her—reluctantly of course—when her leg gave out, he remembered clutching her when suddenly the elevator fell began to drop at an abnormally fast speed—

"No," he breathed out.

A man with similar purple hair and onyx eyes ran in; nearly falling on top of Johanna and Dawn—who hugged her mother and cried just as hard.

"Where the Hell is my brother's corpse?" He demanded spitefully. Balling his fists, he repeated himself once more, "WHERE?" he yelled.

Reggie was always cheerful; the complete opposite of Paul. He was kind-hearted, social, people liked him and talked nothing but positively when his name was brought up. Paul had never seen Reggie so pissed off _ever._

"You want to see the body so bad?" The man—labeled Mr. Hirako—grunted with displeasure.

Reggie's eyes saw Johanna Berlitz scrunched down on the floor and expressing her pain through her screams. "You..bastard," he spat.

A woman in an identical brown outfit, gloves, yellow hat, and goggles ran up the stairs. "Sir, we found Paul Ikari," she revealed as the second black-drenched corpse was carried through the lobby.

Reggie gripped the tip of the black covering and exhaled, closing his eyes for a few seconds as he uncovered a small portion of the corpse.

Dawn looked up and cried out in displeasure: "No!"

Paul's boulder-sized eyes began to shake; he grabbed the mid-section of his arm and hit his head a couple times. He felt the throbbing of his head, he couldn't be dead? His hand went over his heart—he felt the beating of it—and to add, a quite up-tempo beating.

This was merely a dream, he was not dead. Dawn's mother was not being carried off by the police, troublesome herself was not soaking her face into the filthy rug, Reggie was not out of his usual demeanor—he was still able to compete in The Lily of the Valley Conference.

"I know this won't help, but the bodies were found pretty close to each other. Nearly on top, the rubble covered the boy more than the girl. We have reasons to believe he attempted to shield her in her last moments, your brother was a great kid," A worker told Reggie, placing a hand reassuringly on his shoulder.

He shrugged her off, "I..he.." He wasn't like Johanna; he wasn't breaking out into a fit of anguish. Paul could see his eyes water, his eyebrows knitted in a way that spelled remorse, regret, anger—variations of emotions.

They were never close, but Reggie always cared about Paul and attempted to guide him whether as a mentor or a brother. Paul usually expressed discontent with his brother, he was rude, selfish, and many other negative adjectives during his time living.

Reggie shouldn't be thinking of what could have been; Paul should. He gritted his teeth in misery; it was all a neighbor. It had to be—but it was, he knew, wishful thinking. Paul had to face the reality that he was no more.

* * *

"Wake up!" Misty yelled frantically.

Leaf's eyes flipped open and the once-soundly asleep girl rolled off the bed and ended up by the room's television. She silently thanked the bed sheets that broke her fall before wiggling out of it.

"What was that for?" she demanded hotly.

"You were _screaming_," Misty informed.

Leaf combed her fingers through her brown locks; her dream was nothing lucid, but she had a tiny spectacle of recollection. She saw deceased bodies in a state of turmoil despite death, tears, blood, and a mysterious coated-figure with a sword. Those were the figures she could barely make out; and even she was unsure how accurate she was with her guesses.

Misty picked up a book with a black cover and skimmed through its contents. "You know what they say about reading horror stories before bed," she reminded coolly before she clasped the open book together and gently set it by the alarm o'clock.

Leaf scuffed, "I wasn't scared." She crossed her arms before she slowly stood on her toes and walked inside the dark bathroom. She flicked the light switch in a hurry and breathed a sigh of relief at the light.

Misty rolled her eyes. Leaf may have mouthed that she wasn't going to allow a measly dream frighten her, however, her actions sang a different tune.

The dream she experienced increased in vividness the longer she kept awake. Leaf always figured it worked the other way around yet here she was, remembering her horror-novel-turned-dream with such detail. She attempted to grip the end of her comb, though it, to her displeasure, slipped out of her clutches. Leaf growled and finally seized it harshly.

"Ow," she groaned as she combed through a tangled section of her hair.

"You sure are out of it today," Misty commented, observing Leaf's peculiar behavior.

An abrupt knock came ringing through the room. Leaf, without giving much thought, opened up her fingers and allowed the comb to drop to the floor with a crackle.

"Leaf..?" Misty called out in a low voice. She hesitantly walked by the open bathroom door only to see Leaf scrunched down under the shower curtains.

"G-get it away," she begged.

"Leaf, what's going on?" Misty interrogated. She crunched down vertically in front of her friend and placed a hand on the said girl's forehead. She didn't feel warm, but surprisingly, she felt chillingly cold.

She quirked an eyebrow; in addition, Leaf looked paler in complexion. She began to tremble, lifting up an unstable hand.

"Leaf?" Misty shook her back and forth desperately. Suddenly, her friend's consciousness was seemingly floating off. Misty rapidly patted her shoulder, her heart was threatening to pound out of her chest.

Leaf's eyes flew open and she smirked, "Got you," she then winked and stood up as if nothing happened.

Misty rolled her eyes, "I was scared for a moment, damn you," she hissed.

"Sorry," Leaf muttered as she combed through her hair.

"I'll get the door," said Misty as the person behind the door banged louder and far more desperate than before. As they said, patience was a virtue. "By the way, if a demon actually does take over your soul while I get the door—I won't believe it," she sneered, referencing how extortion movies-esque Leaf appeared.

Leaf breathed out, and as she combed she kept her eye on her own reflection. Her hair stopped below her waist and swung with every moment of her body. She twisted, observing her reflection on different angles.

"Misty come down with me; there's free breakfast!" Ash nudged.

"What?!"

"Free and breakfast were used in the same sentence, no need for questions. Let's go!" Ash cheered, he pulled her arm though Misty still firmly remained.

"I need to freshen up. You might as well just go without me before all the good food gets taken," she advised, unscrewing his grip.

"You look fine, what else do you need to do? It's obviously unnecessary," Ash called out.

Misty's cheeks were tinted red the moment those words left his lips. She thanked God he couldn't see; then again, he most likely would have misinterpreted it.

"Other _things_ you have no business knowing about. Just go," she said, faceless to him.

Ash's eyes darted between Misty and the elevator down the hall. "How about I wait for you to finish up—it won't take long, right?"

Misty pivoted around, "Like I said—"

"I'd feel kind of bad. Not just that, but if I try to save food for you I know I'll be a failure." Ash smiled boyishly.

"It shouldn't. Unless Leaf's soul gets possesses once more," Misty half-joked.

Ash backed away, "Leaf's possessed?!" he spit out.

"Apparently she pretended she was, but no," Misty said explained dryly. Glaring behind her head, she pursued her lip, "She thought it was would be hilarious to see how worried I got over her,"

"Sorry," Leaf apologized monotonously.

* * *

"By the time we get to the front all the good food will be gone," Ash groaned as the trio trailed behind approximately forty people.

"You should've gone without me," said Misty as she crossed her arms.

"Then you wouldn't have anything good to eat," Ash reasoned as he gave her a small grin.

"I would've been fine," said Misty as she stuck up her head, trying to see if the line was making any progress.

"Thought you two were mad at each other," commented Leaf.

"Oh believe me," Misty began, "I _was_,"

"Yeah I saw the glares you two threw at each other. I should've known that would be resolved quickly," chuckled Leaf as she leaned against the wall. She saw Gary talking to the female from yesterday. He seemed fairly happy as they both walked side-by-side, trays in grasps. She saw her wrap an arm around his waist as she smiled. Gary's head pivoted to the side, seeing a glimpse of Leaf. She huffed, removing her attention from him and his new girlfriend. At least, she thought that is what she was to him.

"This line is so slow," groaned Ash. A roaring sound echoed, Ash sank to the floor and pretended it wasn't him.

"You know what," Leaf mused as she smirked. "I can help get us to the front," she beamed as she glimpsed at Gary from the corner of her eye.

"I believe that is impossible without cutting," Misty remarked.

"I'm not five, cutting won't be necessary," Leaf said devilishly as she walked towards the front to a teenage boy who was around the front of the line. "Hi," she greeted. She checked her hair and smoothed out her clothes quickly.

"Do I know-," He began to blush as Leaf stood, smiling as she absent-mindedly played with her hair. "C-Can I help you?" he stuttered as his hands began to shackle.

Misty rolled her eyes, "So this is what she is doing," she shook her head disapprovingly.

"What is she doing? If it can help us get to the front faster it can't be bad, right?" Ash said as they watched the scene unravel.

Misty sighed, of course he wouldn't mind.

"I was just wondering if my friends and I can come along with you," Leaf said, pitching her voice higher and smiling.

"Why is Leaf acting weird?" Ash whispered.

"It's part of her plan, which you said you approved, right?" Misty reminded spitefully.

"Who the Hell is that guy?" Gary said under his breath as he joined Ash and Misty.

"Part of Leaf's plan," answered Ash.

"What plan?" questioned Gary.

"W-Why do you need to go to the front so quickly," the boy asked as he adjusted his glasses.

"It's fine if you don't want to help, I can just ask someone," Leaf said sadly as she began scanning the crowd for other "helpers."

"No!" he answered, "I can, I'm just curious,"

"We're all really hungry," Leaf sighed as she rubbed her stomach. "My friend over there had a horrible accident this morning and we ended being late," she pointed at Misty, though her eyes amplified when she noticed a third person that came by. He creased his eyebrow and began tapping his foot disapprovingly. She brushed him off, "You seem like a nice guy, I wondered maybe you could help us by letting us join you in the front," Leaf said sweetly as she crossed her arms together and swayed.

"You all can!" The boy declared, flustered as Leaf grabbed his hands and caressed his palms.

"Thank you," she then winked before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Gary coughed deeply, as the guy's attention began to shift to Gary, Leaf placed her hand across his chin and gently swiveled it away. His cheeks tinted with red as Leaf smiled once more. She gave Ash and Misty a notifying look to begin choosing what they wanted.

"He's such a –"Gary couldn't even find the words, he just groaned. "She can breathe and he'll obey her,"

"That's because Leaf is awesome," said Ash, defending his friend as he began pinpointing what exactly he planned on getting.

"This is free, right?" commented Misty as she noticed Ash's plate begin to pile up.

"I think so," he said as he grinned, adding an extra bagel.

"Gary, would you like any?" asked Misty.

"I'm already eating," he responded.

"Actually you're standing while looking at Leaf hitting on that poor, unsuspecting hormonal teenage boy," she described as she winked, playfully poking Gary.

"She can do what she wants, I just can't believe how everything she says is suddenly law in his mind," he snarled as he looked back once more. "Especially considering that he barely knows her."

"If he did he wouldn't be helping at all," whispered Misty.

Gary noticed Misty hadn't chosen a single thing, nor has she even gotten a plate, "You aren't hungry?"

"I'd rather wait in line," she answered as she watched Ash stack his two, large plates full with varieties of food.

"Aren't you a saint," he said before giving one last glance at Leaf and her "victim". He waved and returned to his seat, still looking over his shoulder as he walked.

"Come on Mist," urged Ash as he tried to get her to grip the plate.

"No," she answered firmly, pushing it back towards him.

"It'll take forever, just go with this now," Ash tried to convince. "It isn't like he's paying either,"

"I'd still prefer waiting," said Misty.

"I'll just choose for you, then," he said as he began to grab some of Misty's favorite entrees.

She rolled her eyes as he examined each item, reexamining even, to decide what she'd want.

"You hate those," he said nonchalantly as he pointed at a carrot and pepper muffin. Which, to Misty's extreme disbelief, existed in the world.

She couldn't help but crack a small smile, she shook her head slowly. While she felt wrong about cutting in front of others due to the fact her friend began flirting with someone in order to move them to the front of the line; she also appreciated Ash's..kindness in regards to her decision to stay back. Sure enough, everything he picked out were her favorites, though she couldn't accept it because of the situation.

Leaf walked back and drenched a hand over Misty's shoulder, "Come on, just take it," she urged.

"No," she repeated once more.

Leaf sighed, "At least someone appreciates my hard work," she said in a low voice as she glanced at Ash.

"Hard work? All it took was a smile and that boy would sell his soul to Satan for you," said Misty questionably.

"It's a lot harder than you think," Leaf said, whipping her hair back.

Misty chuckled, "I'm sure. Just like how this whole situation was mainly so Ash could eat, right?"

"What else would it be for?" asked Leaf, averting her gaze.

"Hmm.." Misty placed a thumb on her chin, "I'll let you decide the answer on your own,"

Leaf's eyes flashed with realization, "He can do whatever he wants. I don't care," she said, brushing off Misty's theory.

Misty knew otherwise, "Okay," she said sarcastically as Leaf ran back to the man.

"The free breakfast offer ended an hour ago," the cashier informed as Ash and Leaf brought their plates up. Upon hearing the news their faces dropped. The cash register revealed the bill total; approximately fifty dollars for just theirs.

Ash buried his head in his arms as he laid it on the table. Slight muffled sounds were heard escaping.

Leaf put her head down, sighing as her face softened.

"Wait, no don't cry!" The man yelled, histrionically waving his hands around the air, "I'll pay for everything!" he declared proudly as he handed over a card.

"I love you!" Ash said appreciatively, immediately jumping off and nearly tackling the teenager to the ground.

Leaf pretended to wipe a tear off her face, "I'm so glad people like you exist," she pivoted and smirked with Misty being the only witness to it.

Misty rolled her eyes.

"Anything for you," he said.

"Thank you. My name is Alexa by the way, see you around," Leaf winked as she stated a false name. She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed his lip. Ash gestured Misty to come over, and in the goodness of her hearts she decided to offer a hand with helping them maneuver the plates.

The man was left, extremely flustered.

Another male looked upon the scene; he tried to disregard his unwanted interest but failed.

* * *

"All these nice shops," exclaimed Misty as the group began exploring LaRousse.

"All these nice restaurants," Ash said, drooling.

"All these hours we've spent walking," Leaf groaned as she groggily took a sip from her water bottle.

"It's only been forty minutes," Gary informed. They were all walking side-by-side, to Leaf's dismay.

"Hmph," Leaf dashed ahead, deciding to walk with Red and Yellow instead.

Ash and Misty sighed as they exchanged glances. In the past, the four were extremely close and while there were some light arguments, nothing to this extent.

The tour guide coughed heavily, "At this moment, we are walking through the time square. Numerous shops and restaurants do business here. In fact, LaRousse is known as the shopping city of Hoenn," he said flatly.

Children, the elderly-people of all ages walked around as the warm sun breathed upon everyone's skin. Leaf adjusted her hat, ensuring it shaded her eyes from the sun's rays. A slight breeze danced through, causing balloons of all colors to sway.

Misty raised her hand, "Is there any reason why there are so many balloons?" she asked.

"It has to do with the accident that occurred fifty years ago," Leaf answered as she saw one specific shop carrying candles and flowers.

"Correct," The guide answered, scratching his balding head. "This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death, it's a popular attraction to come annually and lay down flowers and candles in honor of the lives lost on that unfaithful day," he said solemnly.

Two children ran up to a man dressed in a stripped costume carrying balloons. They begged their mom to buy the pink and blue one. Their mother nodded, and the children were handed the balloons. They ran around in what appeared to be a circular motion. Finally, they allowed the strings of the balloons to slip out of their grasps and ascend into the blue sky. They stared in amazement until the clouds covered the faded shadows of the balloons.

"I wanna try that!" said Ash, pumping his fist in the air.

"Same!" Misty said as she began to dig through her pockets for money.

"Okay, fine," Cynthia giggled, "We can take two hours or so looking around the time square. After all, it is the fiftieth anniversary," she said, folding her hands.

* * *

Leaf furrowed her eyebrow; she walked over to a shop selling accessories such as sunglasses. She exhaled, the sun was bothering her and she didn't think that LaRousse could get so hot. She was glad she decided to wear a tank top and skirt; anything else would cause her to melt like a Popsicle on a sunny day.

"It should be colder by the river," A voice said from behind.

"Are you stalking me?" Leaf demanded to know as she saw Gary's reflection in a small, circular mirror.

"I had no one else to hang around with," He shrugged as he walked over and began twirling a pair of sunglasses. "This would look nice on you," he said as he spread it out and handed it to Leaf.

"Not my type," Leaf hissed as she placed it back.

"Those are the same ones I got you. The ones you didn't bother bringing," Gary smirked, shaking his head as Leaf quickly jabbed her head away.

"Correction—not my type _anymore_," Leaf bit back as she walked off, her long, brown hair swinging back, caressing Gary's face.

"Control your hair," he said as he watched her leave coldly.

* * *

"So, how do we do this again?" asked Ash and he and Misty stood, idle, trying to remember what the children previously did.

Misty looked to sky as she tried to put together what they did. Scratching her head, her eyes suddenly beamed, "We run in circles then we let it go," she answered. Ash and Misty exchanged head bobs as both began to copy the motion. They ran in circles, and slowly let the balloon escape their grasps. They looked up in awe, waiting for it to disappear.

"You know that part isn't necessary, right?" Gary said, he was leaning against the outer wall of a store.

"Which part?" questioned Ash.

"The running part, only children do that," Gary answered.

"What?!" Misty expressed as her cheeks tinted pink.

Ash shrugged, grinning, "Oh well, it was fun,"

"We probably looked ridiculous," Misty deadpanned as she frustratingly grabbed her head.

"So?" Ash chuckled, "We don't know any of these people anyways,"

"True," Misty said, she then began to look around, trying to find Leaf.

"She walked off on her own," Gary explained, sighing.

"We need to leave soon," Misty said, glancing at her watch.

Gary shook his head, "You two should go find her," he suggested.

"Why won't you come?" asked Ash.

"She hates me," Gary said bluntly.

"She does not," Misty said, begging to differ.

Gary ceased his leaning and walked closer, "She just detests me, I try to talk to her and she blows me off,"

Ash tapped Gary's back, "Well, you have been spending time with that girl. She probably feels like you're showing off how you've moved on," Ash said, hints of doubt present in his voice. He usually wasn't the one to try and explain to Gary how Leaf was probably feeling.

"She's an old friend," Gary answered, "Besides, Leaf was the one to make out with a guy right in front of me. I haven't dated since the break-up; she's been the one,"

Misty sighed, rolling her eyes, "You both have been attempting to one-up the other. Frankly it's idiotic especially because I saw your fists ball up when that guy got close to Leaf," she then winked, reminding Gary how the morning went.

Gary swayed a hand over his face, partly because of the head partly because of Leaf's actions, "She doesn't even know him. Or some of these other guys she just met, how can she be so..ugh," he complained.

"Not just her," chimed in Misty.

"Yeah, I agree with Misty," said Ash, nodding. "Two against one, we win,"

Gary averted his eyes, "How have I been acting up?"

Misty pinched his shirt fabric, "Arguing how you _have _is an essay's worth, let's just find Leaf, then I'll type it out later," she promised as Ash and her dragged Gary with them, past the shops with colorful goods and people of all ages.

After the confrontation with Gary, Leaf angrily stomped off. She did some window shopping, passing by numerous shops with cute and useful items. She appreciated the transparent windows, it added to the eco-friendly feel of the city. As she gazed around, she noticed the windmills and took a break to stare and admire them. She wished Pallet took on windmills as the electrical source.

* * *

"What's a lovely girl doing all here by herself," A man said as he came up.

"Just looking around, I've never been to LaRousse," she said as she looked down at her feet, she hadn't noticed the stone patterned flooring that spread across the area.

"Well, maybe I can give you a tour," he said, winking. He kept his hands in his pocket; Leaf could tell by his body language that he was a little nervous.

"Maybe later, I'm on a class field trip," Her voice flowed from cheery to grouchy as she remembered her experience was somewhat limited due to being with her class.

"Leaf," Misty called out, waving. Behind her was Ash and next to Ash was Gary. He lifted an eyebrow suspiciously as he saw the guy.

"Friends?" The nameless guy asked.

"Yes," Leaf muttered.

"Well, I'm actually something else to her," Gary said casually as he wrapped an arm around Leaf. She flinched, her eyes hardening.

"B-Brother?" he asked.

"Nah, I'm her boyfriend, Gary Oak," he stretched out one arm, offering to shake hands.

"Oh," he said, sounding disappointed.

"Actually he isn't," Leaf said, shaking Gary off. She placed a hand on the side of her mouth to make sure Gary didn't see what she was mouthing, "He's just a psychotic stalker," she whispered

Judging by Leaf's "frightened" expression and the situation, Gary knew she was calling him a stalker or something in that category.

The male looked down at something Leaf had no idea of, "I have to get going, nice meeting you," he said as he ran off.

Leaf was confused as to why he ran off that quickly. The wind blew her hair on her face, she was about to lift her hand over and adjust her hair when she noticed a soft grasp held it down to her side. She traced the outline, it was Gary. For a moment their eyes softened, until Leaf aggressively pulled her hand off. She wasn't sure how she obliviously missed him hold her hand, but it certainly did leave an impression that he was still her boyfriend.

"What the Hell was that for?" she said, pushing him back with a hand.

"Who was he?" Gary asked.

"I don't know," Leaf shrugged, she looked around to see if he was still perhaps in that area. "Why is that of any importance to you?"

"He seemed older than you and wreaked with an alcoholic smell," Gary said, "You can't just hook up with random people. Like that guy today, who knows who he could've been?"

Leaf frowned, she appeared hurt almost. Gary physically covered his mouth with his hand; he knew he said too much.

Leaf, folding her arms, turned away, "So you think I'm that type? Nice to know you think I'd sleep with every guy I meet," she said with hints of sadness. She began to walk away, a single tear gleaming in the sun, rolled off her cheek.

He wasn't implying that at all, though Leaf's actions since their break-up could prove her assumption right. He knew it could be painful, but it was the truth. "You just need to be careful. I'm not calling you anything, I care about you. That's why I'm telling you to be careful,"

She sharply pivoted back; "Care?" she repeated sarcastically, "_Please _stop pretending like you do."

"We don't need to be dating for me to care," argued back Gary.

"You don't, though," Leaf said bitterly, "I can't believe you really think I go around trying to get myself pregnant. Thanks, Oak,"

"I didn't say anything like that," Gary said frustratingly as he let Leaf walk off, "Stop putting words into my mouth,"

Misty breathed out in disbelief. Ash motioned her to stay put and let Gary and Leaf solve it between themselves. It wasn't an easy task; she yearned to point out the hypocrisy both faced through the undeniable fact of the matter. Staying silent was difficult, especially when she felt she could solve the problem by intervening.

* * *

This is going to be more mystery than anything but this chapter was necessary for the upcoming ones. Sorry for the delay, writing this for me was slightly a drag because of how excited I am for the next chapters D:


End file.
